Heaven Envied the Genius Yu Xiaogang

"Dormicara~"

"Columbina, sing about that lousy dove of yours again and I'll bury you!"

"Columbina, didn't I teach you another song?"

Two voices cracked at once.

Su Yun rubbed his eyes and looked at Columbina, who was already standing on the bed.

Her singing really was beautiful, but how was anyone supposed to bear it when she only ever sang that one song?

"You mean the Song of Sandrone?"

"Sandrone~ Sandrone~ Sandro-Sandro..."

Su Yun came to his senses and clapped a hand over Columbina's warm little mouth. This was terrifying.

If Sandrone's winding key hadn't been removed, both his and Columbina's heads would have exploded by now.

"Come on, let's go get something to eat. We don't want to miss today's Sky Screen."

After fitting Sandrone's winding key back in, the three of them quickly washed up. Of course, with Columbina's personality, there was no chance she would do it without a fuss.

What they hadn't noticed was that Sandrone's hand had moved even without the key. She had merely held back from hitting anyone.

The key in her back was only a decoration, meant to get around Fontaine's laws.

Later, it had become a toy for teasing the girl.

Once they had washed up and Columbina had received a little discipline, the three headed to Wanmin Restaurant.

Xiangling, who had been out searching for ingredients, had actually returned today.

"Traveler! Sandrone! Columbina!"

At the sight of Xiangling, Columbina skipped over and held out her fist.

Xiangling looked at Su Yun in confusion. What did Columbina mean by that? Was she going to hit her?

She hadn't done anything to upset Columbina lately, had she?

Su Yun stepped forward and bumped his fist against Columbina's.

"It's a new way of greeting friends she learned. Just take it as her saying hello."

Only then did Xiangling understand. She held out her fist and bumped it against Columbina's.

"So that's how people greet each other in Snezhnaya?"

"Good morning, Columbina! I've invented some new breakfast dishes using local ingredients from Douluo Continent. Want to try them?"

Su Yun had already spotted the wild boar hanging outside Wanmin Restaurant. It looked like a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast called a Heavenly Net Pig. Its delicious meat made it quite popular.

Who knew how long Xiangling had searched for it in Star Dou Forest?

Still, with Xiangling's strength, there was little to worry about as long as she didn't run into a Ferocious Beast. She might not be able to beat a hundred-thousand-year one, but escaping would be no problem.

"Yes, please! Thank you, Xiangling!"

Columbina loved making friends with people who could cook, especially if they made desserts.

She had heard that Inazuma's Electro Archon was a wonderful cook too. Unfortunately, when Su Yun had hosted that gathering in his teapot, she had still been working as a construction dove.

Otherwise, she could have tried the Electro Archon's Cuisine. She had heard the other five gods all praised it.

The thought made her ask.

"Su Yun, Su Yun, I heard Inazuma's Electro Archon is a wonderful cook. When is she coming over?"

Su Yun, who was walking inside, Zhongli, who was sipping his morning tea, and Venti, who was playing at being a hanging good-luck doll, all froze.

Inazuma's Electro Archon was a wonderful cook? Where had that rumor come from?

"Yeah. At a meeting, that bastard Dottore told us you six gods had even invited him to dinner. He said the dish called Moment of something-or-other was especially good and recommended we try it if we got the chance."

Sandrone stroked her chin as she recalled it.

Su Yun's mouth twitched. She couldn't mean Moment of Syzygy, could she?

Wasn't that what Su Yun had specifically asked Ei to make the last time he invited a segment of The Doctor to a feast in his teapot?

They had watched that segment of The Doctor breathe his last within ten seconds...

So Dottore wanted to drag everyone down with him. He had deliberately told them Moment of Syzygy was delicious.

If Ei ended up poisoning Columbina, things would get spectacularly out of hand!

At the thought, Su Yun began to suspect even the Sky Screen and the system. Someone who would pull a stunt like this couldn't be... that person, could it?

Someone who could turn herself into a book... the ultimate thrill-seeker.

He hurriedly shook off the terrifying thought. If it really was her... things would get spectacularly out of hand.

By the time they sat down, Columbina was already eating pastries with both hands. Su Yun had no idea how her stomach worked; somehow, she could fit so much food in it.

Su Yun picked up a crystal shrimp dumpling and looked at the Sky Screen overhead.

Today's broadcast should be the fifth-ranked entry.

As time passed, the fifth-ranked Sky Screen feature was finally about to begin.

Everyone looked up. It had become a habit over the past few days.

The Sky Screen slowly unfurled.

[Top 5: Deep Sea Soul Beasts]

Every living creature was taken aback. Why were Deep Sea Soul Beasts on the list too?

Only Bo Saixi already knew about the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King. If becoming a servant of the Sea God had not allowed her to summon his phantom,

she would have set out yesterday to kill the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King in the deep sea.

The Sea God's Eighth Trial required the slaying of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King. Now that the Sky Screen was handing out rewards, the whale would probably become a god outright.

Who knew whether the future Lord Sea God could withstand him?

In the deep sea...

The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King stared at the Sky Screen, his one eye red with excitement.

He had seen this coming long ago. Unless the Sea God descended, his faction would surely rank above Sea God Island.

Being only fifth left him scratching his head, though. The only one he knew who was stronger was that stupid dragon who clearly had god-level strength yet pretended to be eight hundred and ninety thousand years old.

Who could the other three factions be?

It didn't matter. The urgent thing now was to claim the Sky Screen's reward.

"The tribulation of becoming a god! Haha! Will I finally be freed from the tribulation I've feared for ten thousand years?"

With that, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King leaped from the water in excitement, sending waves towering into the sky.

Because of the Sky Screen, he had long since moved his home from the deep sea to the surface.

[Lord of the Deep Sea: Deep Sea Demonic Whale King]

[Age: 990,000 years]

[Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's wife: Demon Empress]

[Age: 600,000 years]

[Evil Orca King]

[Age: 100,000 years]

[...]

With the earlier example of the Land of Extreme Cold in mind, everyone was baffled. Why had the Deep Sea Soul Beasts taken fifth place?

However they looked at it, their strength seemed inferior to the seventh-ranked Far North.

This whale was only nine hundred and ninety thousand years old, while the Far North truly had a million-year-old beast.

Yu Xiaogang was even more baffled. He pulled out his Ten Core Theories of Martial Souls and began making corrections.

He had already crossed out the first line about Martial Soul age limits.

"The age limit a Soul Master can withstand must depend on their Martial Soul. A god-level Martial Soul can withstand a ten-thousand-year first ring..."

As for whether a remnant soul might overwhelm them?

Sorry, Yu Xiaogang had completely forgotten that Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings contained remnant souls.

His mind was filled with nothing but his Ten Core Theories of Martial Souls.

He turned to the section on Soul Beasts.

Then he began to puzzle it out.

"Why would a million-year-old beast rank below a nine-hundred-and-ninety-thousand-year-old one?"

"Could that million-year figure be misleading?"

"And the Lord of the Far North is that Soul Beast called the Snow Empress, not the million-year-old Tianmeng Ice Silkworm."

"Yes, that must be it! A Soul Beast's age doesn't determine its combat power!"

"After all, cultivation level doesn't determine combat power. Take me: I'm only level twenty-nine, but what faction wouldn't consider me a devastating asset? God-level at the very least!"

"If I hadn't been expelled from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the clan would definitely be in the top five by now. It might even be first."